Speaking yesterday at The Talent Management Summit in central London, Baker described how Sky faced a skills shortage when 3D technology was implemented a few years ago, but there weren't universities or workplaces teaching the skills to use it. This created "further need for a particular talent". "So just as the war for talent will always exist, so will skills shortages," she said.
Baker was talking on a panel that included Russ Lidstone, CEO of communications firm Havas Worldwide, and Dean Royles, director NHS Employers. They were discussing and analysing the challenges they face in the 'war for talent'.
Baker added employers must first tackle the issue by thinking about how they are "moving [their] internal talent".
"Sometimes we are a bit to quick to employ someone new from the outside when great people already exist in your organisation," she said.
The challenge for HR is not to just find that new talent but to get to know your internal resources. And to spend time broadening their careers, giving them new skills and encouraging them."
She added: "I bet we all have employees who do the most wonderful things outside of work, such as charity work and organising large events. And I often wonder, in the organisations that have those amazing people, are they really harnessing that talent inside the company."
Baker also said too many employers are not tapping into the "whole global pool of talent" and ignoring key groups such as ethnic minorities. "We are looking for talent with one hand tied behind our back," she said.
Also speaking at the event was VP of HR and chief people officer at KFC UK and Ireland, James Watts. He was talking about strategies he uses to employ and also develop the best people.
"KFC's approach to developing the best teams and talent is to follow a simple model: 'strategy-structure-culture'," he said.
"A business should start with a crystal clear strategy, then build structure and culture around that."
He added: "Our people strategy directly drives our business strategy. So from an HR perspective we need to be focused on two things: talent to fuel that growth and also drive engagement and collaboration."
The Talent Management Summit, organised by The Economist, brought together a diverse group of speakers from business, policy and academia to discuss how the social, political and economic context changes the demand for talent.
